Written answers
Thursday, 5 October 2023
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Magdalen Laundries
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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317. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline, in tabular form, the Members of the Steering Group established to develop a National Centre for Research and Remembrance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43347/23]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In March 2022, Government approved high-level proposals for a National Centre for Research and Remembrance, to be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry on Sean McDermott Street in Dublin 1. The National Centre will stand as a site of conscience to honour equally all those who were resident in Industrial Schools, Magdalen Laundries, Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, Reformatories, and related institutions.
A Steering Group - chaired by the former Secretary General to the Government and current Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom, Mr Martin Fraser - was established to drive the overall coordinated development of the National Centre. The Steering Group is responsible for developing the overall vision of the National Centre and providing strategic oversight for the design, development, coordination and implementation of the composite elements of the Centre.
The Steering Group comprises representatives from a number of Government Departments and Agencies involved in the development of the National Centre.
The table below outlines the current membership of the Steering Group:
| Department/Agency | Representative |
|---|---|
| (Nominated by Government) | Martin Fraser,Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom (Chair) |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | Kevin McCarthy, Secretary General |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | Laura McGarrigle, Assistant Secretary |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | Gráinne MorrisseyPrincipal Officer |
| Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth | Kate Mc Eleney, Assistant Principal |
| Department of An Taoiseach | Brenda Boylan, Principal Officer |
| Department of Education | Aoife Conduit, Assistant Secretary |
| Office of Public Works | Rosemary Collier, Assistant Secretary |
| Office of Public Works | Ciaran O’Connor, State Architect |
| Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media | Conor Falvey, Assistant Secretary |
| National Archives of Ireland | Orlaith McBride, Director |
| National Museum of Ireland | Lynn Scarff, Director |
| Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science | Paul Lemass, Assistant Secretary |
| Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science | Aideen Foley, Principal Officer |
| Dublin City Council | Richard Shakespeare, Chief Executive |
| Dublin City Council | Karl Mitchell, Director of Services |
| North East Inner City Initiative | Jim Gavin, Chairperson |
A crucial element in the development of the National Centre is engagement with survivors and with the local community in Dublin’s North East Inner City. This will ensure that the development of the National Centre is directly informed by those most centrally involved, their families and representatives. An initial, open consultation was launched on 25 July and ran until 15 September, with a view to informing work on elements of the National Centre project, specifically:
- the museum and exhibition space;
- the research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century; and
- the garden space for reflection and remembrance.
Further, targeted consultations on specific elements of the Centre - for example the museum interpretation experience; the space for reflection; and the educational, family and parenting supports – will take place in due course.
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